1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information displaying system, an information providing apparatus, and an information providing method for displaying a map of a neighboring area of a designated point and a message corresponding thereto through a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, web pages have been widely used. The web pages are HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) files stored in WWW (World Wide Web) servers and published through Internet. Each web site has at least one web page. The representative page of each web site is referred to as home page. In the following description, a web page is referred to as home page. A network location of a home page is referred to as web site or simply site.
Since a home page is described in HTML that is a relatively simple language and published worldwide, it has been widely used as a personal information transmitting means and a business advertizing means.
To browse an HTML file such as a home page, a WWW browser that is a computer application is used. The WWW browser reads a designated file corresponding to for example an input URL (Uniform Resource Locator). When an address on Internet is contained in the file as an URL, a file corresponding to the address is searched and read through Internet. Likewise, as a URL, a local storage medium such as a hard disk of a personal computer on which the WWW browser is running can be designated.
When an HTML file is read by the WWW browser, the WWW browser performs various controls corresponding to the contents thereof. For example, corresponding to the contents of the HTML file, controlling portions such as buttons can be disposed on the WWW browser. Thus, the user can interactively operate the WWW browser with the controlling portions disposed thereon. For example, processes can be allocated to coordinates of image files on the WWW browser. Consequently, when the user designates a particular position with an image on the WWW browser, a process corresponding to the position is performed on the WWW browser.
An HTML file can contain a tag for reading another file. A process for reading another file from a particular HTML file is referred to as link. A link destination may be another URL. Thus, one HTML file can be linked to any file on Internet.
When a file read by the WWW browser is an HTML file, information corresponding to the file is displayed on the WWW browser. When an image file is linked to an HTML file that is read, the URL of the image file is accessed. Thus, the image file is read and displayed on the WWW browser. Likewise, when audio data is linked, the URL thereof is automatically accessed. Thus, data of the audio file is reproduced. Of course, another type HTML file can be linked.
As described above, an HTML file can be automatically linked. Alternatively, an HTML file can be interactively linked by the user. When an HTML file contains a tag for manually linking the HTML file, a link button for controlling the linking of the HTML file is displayed on the WWW browser. When the user operates the link button in a predetermined manner, the HTML file is linked to a predetermined file.
There is a multimedia information searching home page for search information through a network. WWW sites have provided a huge amount of information of various types including technical information, financial information, shopping information, and restaurant information. The WWW sites are operated by various people and organizations (public organizations such as the central government, local governments, large companies, small companies and stores, and people). It is expected that such services using home pages will drastically grow.
The user can easily obtain shopping information, event information, and so forth from such WWW sites. However, even if the user has obtained such information, he or she needs a map to visit the store or event place. Thus, when shopping information and event information are published on home pages, locations of stores and event places should be placed on maps. As described above, since home pages are created with HTML files, when image information of maps showing neighboring areas of the locations of the stores and event places is provided, the maps can be placed at particular positions of particular pages.
However, since roads and geographical shapes are very complicated, it is very difficult for a creator of a home page to create a map showing a neighboring area of a store or an event place and to place it to a particular page. When a creator of a home page draws a map, it is not accurate.
To solve such a problem, it is possible to provide a map information home page for displaying map information corresponding to input location information of latitude and longitude. When such a home page is available, after the user has obtained shopping information, event information, or the like, he or she opens a search page of such a map information home page and inputs location information of the obtained shopping information, event information, or the like. Thus, the user can know the location of the store, event place, or the like on a map. When store names and event place names are correlated with location information, their maps can be displayed without necessity of location information of latitude and longitude.
Many advertisements have been placed on home pages. In this case, images files of advertisements are displayed on pages. On a home page about business related information, an advertisement relating thereto is placed. In other words, the target of the advertisement is a user who is interested therein. In other words, an advertisement placed on a home page depends on the contents thereof.
However, since the contents of home pages are normally fixed, in such a method, the genre of advertisements placed on a particular home page does not vary. Thus, an advertisement with a wider genre cannot be placed on a home page.
In addition, users are not interested in advertisements of specialized fields placed on home pages. Thus, the effects of advertisements are low. For example, when an advertisement of Okinawa (a region in Japan) is placed on a home page about Okinawa, it is expected that users who see the home page are not interested in the advertisement. On the other hand, an article may be placed on a home page that does not relate to Okinawa. When an advertisement about Okinawa is placed on such a home page, it is expected that the effect of the advertisement becomes high. However, it is troublesome to select an advertisement from the related genre whenever an article of a home page is updated.